Program has long history of enriching lives of young men and looks forward to a bright future

After more than 20 years working with Milwaukee’s youth, Men of Tomorrow continues to enrich the lives of the city’s young African American men. The program’s impressive list of graduates includes architectural designers, grant writers and college students who have transitioned from boys to men. But the work of Men of Tomorrow is never done, which is why the program is currently accepting new participants.

Men of Tomorrow is a non-profit, charitable organization that helps young black males learn responsibility, teaches them to build self-esteem and cultural pride, and develop the necessary skills to become leaders. The program aims to give African-American males ages 9 to 18 the push they need to succeed in school, complete college, as well as pursue and lead successful careers. Spiritual values, education, business and community service all are heavily integrated into the programming.

“The past two decades have been a labor of love,” said William Jenkins, co-founder of Men of Tomorrow. “And we are looking forward to another 20 plus years of positively impacting hundreds of lives.”

Men of Tomorrow alumnae like Anwar Pruitt, Marshall Simms and Alex Walker are thankful the Jenkinses had the vision to start the organization all those years ago.

“This program is important because there is a need for more positive influences and role models for black men to help them stay on track,” Pruitt, a grant writer and artist, explained.

And Walker, an architectural engineer, agrees whole heartedly.

“Men of Tomorrow is a vital program because it provides positive images for African American men,” said Walker. “This program was a source of encouragement for me and also taught me about African American history.”

“Seeing the struggle of African Americans encouraged me to be the best I could be,” added Marshall Simms, a student at Howard University in Washington D.C. “Young black males need examples. There are a lot of single parent homes and groups like Men of Tomorrow provide great mentors.”